Feels
like I've only just got the hang of putting “18” at the end of
dates, and here we are again – new year, new practice plan! Why?
Well, because I want to keep getting better of course – why else?
This
is also a pretty significant year for me – come November, I'll have
been playing guitar 25 years (seriously, I am that old)
and I wanted to mark that anniversary with a challenge for myself. As
I mentioned, my big challenge for last year was the Bach Toccata &
Fugue in D minor, and I'm happy to admit that drove me to the edge of
my technical and cognitive abilities.. but I did it! Eventually,
anyway...
So I'm
marking this year by taking up a piece that was transcribed in the
first guitar magazine I ever got, Guitar For The Practicing Musician
March 1995 – featuring transcriptions of (among others) Nirvana's
version of “The Man Who Sold The World” from their Unplugged
album (my reason for buying it) alongside tab for a song called “Bad
Horsie” by a chap called Steve Vai.
Now,
it's important to realise quite how stupid I was at that age, and I
had yet to comprehend the concept that one song could be more
difficult than another one, let alone comprehend the quantum leap in
technique and understanding needed to tackle that track – I sat
down with the tab and was woefully confused.... two years later,
convinced of my own abilities, I decided to have another crack and
was once again massively out of my depth. So I reckon it's about time
I ticked this box and got this one in the can. I did “For The Love
Of God” - I can do this... I hope..
Meanwhile,
there's a schedule to keep to! So my plan, as always balancing,
diatonic and pentatonic scales, arpeggios and chords along with new
pieces to learn – here's 2019 mapped out:
January
– Major scale and modes. 3 octaves, played in 3rds, sequenced in 3s
and 4s. Pieces – Eric Johnson “SRV”, Paganini Caprice #24
February
– Arpeggios (triads). 3 octaves, played in 3rds, sequenced etc.
March
– Chords (triads and inversions, closed and open voicings). Piece –
TBC
April
– Minor Pentatonic & Modes. Piece TBC
May
– Byzanine Scale R b2 3 4 5 b6 7
June
– Arpeggios – 7b5s. Piece TBC
July
– Chords (7b5s and inversions, closed and open voicings). Piece TBC
August
– Pentatonics (Lydian R 3 #4 5 7). Piece TBC
September
– Oriental Scale R b2 3 4 b5 6 b7. Piece TBC
October
– Arpeggios – 7#5s. Piece TBC
November
- Chords (7#5s and inversions, closed and open voicings). Piece TBC
December
– Pentatonics (Mixolydian R 2 3 5 b7). Piece TBC.
